EVR's - what's happening around your way?

[andy2007]

Believe it or not, we have about a dozen vacant duties. Yet they're offering 30 EVRs. Work that one out!

Well I work that out as 42 vacancies - that surely can't be a delivery office - it must be a mail centre

It's an RDC. But the point I was trying to make, is that they're getting rid of duties, when we can't cover properly for absences as it is (it's the reserve duties that are vacant). A couple of weeks ago, we had to attempt to cope with HALF the normal staff, on the Bays. And despite it being a very slack week. We barely got the job done. Had it been a normal week (like last week), it would have been a total disaster. With Drivers held up, way past their departure time. Which would obviously have a knock on effect, for everyone else.

Now they're getting rid of 30 more Staff. Despite not having all the duties covered, anyway. I know that it's no-where near as bad as it is in Deliveries yet. But how long before it is?
We're usually the forgotten section of RM, as we make up such a tiny proportion of the Staff. But they've finally caught on to the fact that we were properly staffed, until the last round of EVR. And they're getting rid of more now.

Once Autumn Pressure hits: They'll end up having to get dozens of Agency in (not likley as it's expensive), or it'll be a disaster. And even if They DO bring enough Agency in: They don't bother training them properly. So it'll still be chaos.

[madelin4]

What would a postie who has 8 years in get on EVR? Age 35?

30 weeks pay

Thanks t post. well 30 weeks pay, just really the same as what it is for Ill Health Retirement. It is about just under 10 k plus 9 weeks pay in lieu

[dvbuk55]

I agree with what you have said but its the delivery postman who bears the brunt of longer delivery spans, not RM or CWU leaders.To walk 4 hours+ per day is just to much and many staff will just go sick and finish and RM will get rid of full time jobs that way. RM have their plan and they are not interested in what the union says.

Perhaps the fight to save hours should have been taken a long time ago instead of waiting until the die is cast.

Dingo: How long do you consider the delivery span should be? How many households would be acceptable? As a matter of interest how is the workload at Mech centres going to be increased to save hours and jobs? Would it not also have been the case for those taking VRs to hold the line and NOT accept the terms - there must have been vacancies at delivery offices - there always is because it is already hard work. Rumour has it that there are 7 VRs in my office and yet there has been new starters this week and interviews were held as well, all for part timers - no one has gone yet but you can see the pattern emerging, there are no savings per se but there is going to be.

[dvbuk55]

Believe it or not, we have about a dozen vacant duties. Yet they're offering 30 EVRs. Work that one out!

Well I work that out as 42 vacancies - that surely can't be a delivery office - it must be a mail centre

It's an RDC. But the point I was trying to make, is that they're getting rid of duties, when we can't cover properly for absences as it is (it's the reserve duties that are vacant). A couple of weeks ago, we had to attempt to cope with HALF the normal staff, on the Bays. And despite it being a very slack week. We barely got the job done. Had it been a normal week (like last week), it would have been a total disaster. With Drivers held up, way past their departure time. Which would obviously have a knock on effect, for everyone else.

Now they're getting rid of 30 more Staff. Despite not having all the duties covered, anyway. I know that it's no-where near as bad as it is in Deliveries yet. But how long before it is?
We're usually the forgotten section of RM, as we make up such a tiny proportion of the Staff. But they've finally caught on to the fact that we were properly staffed, until the last round of EVR. And they're getting rid of more now.

Once Autumn Pressure hits: They'll end up having to get dozens of Agency in (not likley as it's expensive), or it'll be a disaster. And even if They DO bring enough Agency in: They don't bother training them properly. So it'll still be chaos.

They're killing us - plain and simple - lapsing duties, vacancies being covered by part timers, brought in early or kept longer, overtime to cover IPS, making a full time duty part time and the bloke told to pick another duty - it's well and good being told to "hold the line" - but the line keeps moving and twisting - I'm not sure that those negotiating realise what it is like on the shop floor today in a delivery office, well really in any office.

[savo]

Amen to that brother

[andy2007]

The other thing that they're not taking into account, is that since the Credit Crunch hit: Mail volumes (at least Commercial Mail in my Region anyway) have fallen considerably. Now I know they've been saying that this will happen for some time. But the fact is, that we're in the middle of a Credit Crunch, and Businesses are really struggling. So it's not surprising that they're sending less. But what happens when the Economy finally recovers?
How are we supposed to cope, when the volumes (per Customer) go back up to normal?

Now I realise that in Deliveries, you're probably not noticing any reduction in what you deliver personally. Because they're constantly trying to reduce the number of Duties. But when the Economy recovers: How on Earth do they think you'll manage to deliver it all?!?!?

We've already had a large number of Duties taken out, during the last round of EVR. Which means that there is no longer any "slack time", as we do "other meaningful work". Specifically: We help out other sections, who are busy. And they help us out, when we're busy (e.g. Customer Bays, Segs (Mech), Network Bays, etc., etc..). But as we don't have enough Reserves (few of these Duties are filled), we get in a right mess, if too many people are off.

And bear in mind, that they only started on us, really, last year (they normally forget about the RDCs). Before that, we were properly staffed. Give it a couple of years, and we'll be in the same mess that Deliveries are.

[baldrick]

Pertaining to the colleague shares,I have actually spoken to an OPG who was offered VR .Yes,he was offered £1400 by Royal Mail .From the horses mouth if you like.It 'd be interesting to find out if all offices in the country are offering this.

I was offered EVR last June, and wasn't offered anything for 'colleague shares' then.

Spoke to a colleague at work who drinks with an ex-colleague who took EVR a couple of months ago.
He says the ex-colleague did get a payment from RM after he left for 'colleague shares' although
he was not told about this payment before he took EVR. Didn't say how much it was though.

[stokes11eg]

Pertaining to the colleague shares,I have actually spoken to an OPG who was offered VR .Yes,he was offered £1400 by Royal Mail .From the horses mouth if you like.It 'd be interesting to find out if all offices in the country are offering this.

I was offered EVR last June, and wasn't offered anything for 'colleague shares' then.

Spoke to a colleague at work who drinks with an ex-colleague who took EVR a couple of months ago.
He says the ex-colleague did get a payment from RM after he left for 'colleague shares' although
he was not told about this payment before he took EVR. Didn't say how much it was though.

When you leave, through sickness or redundancy you get face value for your shares.

[madelin4]

What would a postie who has 8 years in get on EVR? Age 35?

30 weeks pay

Thanks again t-post. so 30 weeks pay and thats it. IHR works out more than EVR. you get the lump sum + surrender of shares+ 9 weeks pay in lieu. Seems to be the right move anyhow.

[madelin4]

The surrender of shares stand at around £750 at the moment.